Campus Life
St. Paul wrote in the Epistle to the Romans, "Just as each of us has one body with many members... so in Christ we who are many form one body." The students of Hellenic College / Holy Cross bring many different gifts, professional goals, ethnicities, and life stages, yet they form one community of faith and learning. Hellenic College / Holy Cross students find themselves surrounded by other men and women who are seeking the kingdom of God through fuller participation in the life of the Church-in the Sacraments, study, private prayer, daily liturgical worship, a relationship with a spiritual father, and various community spiritual and social activities.
Learn more about student life at Hellenic College / Holy Cross School of Theology by reading more below or choosing one of the links to the left.
Student Activities
Hellenic College and Holy Cross students share in a variety of athletic, social, charitable and spiritual activities. There are a soccer team and a basketball team, which compete in local leagues. Students, Faculty, and Staff work out together in the state-of-the- art, Leadership 100 Fitness Center . Annual athletic events include: the Hellenic College vs. Holy Cross Football Game, the Staff vs. Students Softball Game, and the Tennis Tournament.
Musical opportunities include the Romanos o Melodos Byzantine Choir, and the Hellenic College / Holy Cross Chorale for freshmen, as well as student-led vocal and instrumental groups. Favorite musical events include the talent show and open mic night. The HCHC Dance Troupe welcomes students as well as children.
Social activities include the Reading Circle, ice cream socials, the Fall Foliage Tour, study groups, Women's Academic Lunch, the annual Community Christmas Party and other annual feast day celebrations and cook-outs, walks around the neighboring beautiful Jamaica Pond, excursions via the T (Boston subway system) to Harvard Square and locations throughout Boston, and late-night conversations in the Residence Hall lounges. Community Dinners provide a regular opportunity for students, faculty, staff, and their families to share a meal and fellowship.
Opportunities for spiritual activity abound. Morning and evening chapel services, all-night vigils, retreats, as well as spiritual father relationships with faculty and local parish clergy, are available to all students and their families. Hellenic College / Holy Cross sponsors regular pilgrimages to St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Monastery, in Roscoe, NY, and to the site of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, at Ground Zero in New York City. The Holy Week Recess allows full participation in all the services of Holy Week, and includes a Holy Week Seminar with daily instruction and meditation for first-year Seminarians.
Charitable opportunities include participation in a weekly soup kitchen, the annual Walk for Bread, two annual blood drives, and hospital and prison ministry.
Marriage and Family Life
Currently, about one fourth of the students of Hellenic College / Holy Cross are married, and most of these live in comfortable on-campus apartments. Married students and their families share a community that is warm and supportive through all the challenges of college and seminary life.
The Marriage and Family Enrichment Program (MFEP) assists married students and their families as they prepare for ministry in the Orthodox Church. It provides a forum for spiritual growth through educational presentations and discussions, including workshops, lectures, and retreats led by experienced clergy, lay leaders, and professionals. The MFEP offers a series of workshops in the Fall and a retreat in the Spring, on such topics as Christian Parenting, Christian Marriage, Making the Transition to Parish Life, and Building Self-Confidence. The MFEP emphasizes preparing future clergy and their families for parish life.
At Hellenic College / Holy Cross children are nourished through friendship and play with other Orthodox children. HOPE (4 - 8 years) and JOY (9 - 12 years) children's groups provide the catechetical instruction and fun with friends. A children's talent show is a yearly favorite with young and old alike. The annual Fall Festival has been a big hit with the young children. Children are valued participants in the social and liturgical life of Hellenic College / Holy Cross.
